MANILA – Japan believes that stability in Mindanao is linked to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and will continue to support the peace process in the region.
This is according to a statement by Japan Press Secretary Kobayashi Maki and released by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, after the bombing at Mindanao State University (MSU) last Sunday morning, killing four and injuring 43 persons during a Catholic mass in the predominantly Muslim city of Marawi in Lanao del Sur province.
In the statement, Kobayashi said that Japan condemns the bombing incident and emphasized that “attacks against innocent citizens are unacceptable for any reason and that Japan firmly condemns terrorism in all its forms.”
Kobayashi also affirmed that Japan will continue to support the peace process in Mindanao under the conviction that stability in the region is linked to its socio-economic development, not just for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), but for its people as well.
According to the Embassy, the Government of Japan has been actively contributing to the advancement of the peace process and to the reconstruction and development of Mindanao through efforts like the dispatch of experts to the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB); the dispatch of development experts to the Social and Economic Development Section of the International Monitoring Team; the concentrated implementation of economic cooperation projects such as extending to beneficiaries in conflict-affected areas the Grassroots Grant Assistance for Human Security; and participation in the International Contact Group (ICG) that provides advice by attending peace talks as an observer.
The Japanese Government also announced earlier the provision of heavy machinery for disaster prevention and recovery equipment for BARMM during Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s visit to the Philippines last November.
